New weapons stink or hurt, but don't kill

SAN DIEGO -- Soldiers of the future may have some new weapons in their arsenals: slippery slime, pain beams, noise guns and stink bombs.

The Pentagon is developing non-lethal weapons for soldiers who increasingly find themselves in situations where the line between civilian and enemy isn't clear.

Most of the projects are variations on conventional weapons, such as wax bullets that cause stinging pain when they explode on impact. But the military also is exploring technologies that resemble science fiction:

A San Diego company is developing a portable, battery-powered sonic rifle that fires "bullets" of earsplitting noise. The company, American Technology Corp., says the weapon could be used to foil skyjackers without puncturing a plane's fuselage.

In San Antonio, the Marines have contracted scientists to develop a sprayable slime that makes stairs and sidewalks as slippery as ice.

And Pentagon officials asked researchers in Philadelphia who study taste and smell to come up with the world's foulest odor.

The push to develop such weapons began in the aftermath of the U.S. involvement in Somalia in 1992-93 that put soldiers in the line of fire in urban areas where civilians were present -- and in which 18 American soldiers and hundreds of Somalis died in one hellish clash.

These unorthodox weapons of the future go far beyond rubber bullets and tear gas. They exploit the body's sensory reflexes, such as the urge to recoil when confronted by an unpleasant or painful sensation.

"The idea ... is to concentrate on all five senses as well as our ability to walk," said Capt. Shawn Turner, a spokesman for the Pentagon's Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, a program run by the Marines with an annual budget of $25 million.

Armed with a portion of that money, researchers at Philadelphia's Monell Chemical Senses Center tried to find out what smell most repels people.

Two years of testing on people from all over the world, yielded a "souped up version of human waste," said Pamela Dalton, who led the study.

"It's pretty awful," Dalton said. "We found few that were able to smell that and not have an immediate reaction."

All it takes, she said, is a few molecules -- not nearly enough to be toxic.

"You're really dealing with a psychological perception," Dalton said.

Monell has presented its findings to Pentagon officials, who are deciding what to do with them.

These projects represent only a portion of the Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate's work, most of which is classified, Turner said.

While many projects won't be funded beyond the proposal stage, others are being readied for use by U.S. troops.

The Marines, who are charged with guarding U.S. embassies overseas, are planning to use a slippery slime to deal with hostile crowds.

The Corps hired scientists at San Antonio's Southwest Research Institute to develop a spray that makes asphalt, concrete, grass and wood as slippery as ice. The Marines expect to have the product ready for use in 2003.

The Pentagon spent $40 million over 10 years to develop a long-range weapon that inflicts pain without causing lasting harm. The weapon, which could be fielded by 2009, fires a beam of electromagnetic waves that reaches pain receptors a fraction of an inch under the skin. "It kind of feels like putting your hand on a light bulb," said Turner, who has tried it out.

In San Diego, American Technology is developing a portable 3-foot-long tube capable of firing a burst of noise as high as 140 decibels. Sound becomes painful above 120 decibels -- the noise of a jet at takeoff. At such levels, sound can be felt as well as heard.

"It gives you the equivalent of an instant migraine headache," said Elwood Norris, the company's chief executive. "It's just totally disabling."

The Defense Department contacted American Technology about the device after the Sept. 11 attacks, Norris said. The company is now working with Bath Iron Works, a division of General Dynamics, to develop a working model for the Pentagon.

The company's new, thin spin-speaker technology, called hypersonic sound, has also drawn attention from the Army for possible use in psychological warfare. The speakers can project sound like a ventriloquist throwing his voice.

"You can, with a little practice, freak people out pretty well," said Terry Conrad, president of American Technology.